The Federalist Papers

U.S. Congress

Saturday, January 03, 2009

But as Caroline Glick correctly observes, the current Israeli government has failed to set out reasonable goals that insure victory. 'Disarming' Hamas will never be enough. Iran will only send them more.

Crushing Hamas is the only hope for longterm victory, and the government has expressed little resolve to accomplish this goal.

Would you say that the following would define the word 'evil' in our world?

...Honor killings against young female offspring who 'dishonor' their parents by engaging in forbidden behavior?...Carrying a sign at a pro-terrorist rally in THIS COUNTRY that says, 'Back to the ovens for the Jews!'?...Women being viewed as inferior to men and possessing of no human liberties?...Calling for the complete and total annihilation of an entire country (Israel) for absolutely no reason other than the land it occupies and has an historical right to occupy since the year 1312 B.C.?...A religion which by its very nature disallows human liberty and demands adherence to its doctrines that de-humanize children, women, and 'infidels'?...A religion that fancies head-chopping as an acceptable means of dealing with opposition?Among my definitions of 'evil,' the preceding certainly qualifies!

Even here in the United States, there is an element--within American Liberalism, of course--that embraces this evil just as surely as our European brethren are doing.

Why are Liberals taking up the cause of Gaza terrorists? Why do the supposed 'enlightened' stand up for the right of an evil ideology to reign terror on all who refuse to support it? Why is it that a nation is to be condemned for defending itself against those who have vowed to annihilate it and have constantly bombarded that country with deadly attacks for at least 7 years or more?

This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

And make no mistake about it, dear reader, the modern world will pay a heavy price for it just as surely as Europe did during the 1930s and 40s.

According to CNN, Senate Democrats have a plan in the event Roland Burris shows up to take Obama's vacant seat. They plan to block him from entering the chamber.

And this has been the buzz around Washington since scandal-ridden Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris as Obama's replacement.

The Democrats in the Senate don't want the appearance of corruption by allowing a man appointed by a Governor under federal indictment to take a Senate seat that the Governor allegedly attempted to sell.

But another major problem has surfaced that may be even more problematic for the Democrats. Burris would be the only Black Senator in the chamber. And his proponents have already begun spinning the issue to make it all about race.

Senate Democrats don't want to appear racist by refusing a seat to the Senate's only black member.

So, it all comes down to this. What a travesty.

Illinois should conduct a special election for the Senate seat. This is the only fair way to determine who serves in the seat vacated by Barack Obama.

What the media have declined to notice is that the outcome of the war will not be determined by the number of Hamas buildings the IAF destroys. The outcome of this war -- like the outcome of all wars - will be determined by one factor only: Which side will achieve the goals it set out for itself at the outset of the conflict and which side will concede its goals?

Depressingly, the current machinations of the Olmert-Livni-Barak government demonstrate that when the fighting is over, Hamas and not Israel will be able to declare that it accomplished its goals in this war.

In other words, Glick believes that the current Israeli government is making the very same mistake that was made in 2006 at the end of the Second Lebanon War. Thus, since the government has already decided to lose, then risking lives by a ground assault is futile and stupid.

Codrea's War on Gunsannounces a debate going on at the RNC and says that it is important that our voices be heard. Read it for more info, and act.

Gun Rights Examinerpublishes Codrea's column for today that examines the issue of 'some people simply shouldn't have guns.'

Mindful Musingsposts the info on the upcoming 'Grid Down Medical Course' in Lancaster, PA in February. The information taught in the course is vital to survival in the event that professional medical attention is unavailable. Take a look!

Blogstitutiontakes a look back at the stories published by the LA Times and says it has a very poor record when it comes to objectivity.

Syd at Front Sight, Presshas a good read on the finest carry pistols. Wheel guns are excluded because they are not pistols. Read it! This should spark some debate.

Pax Parabellumposts an interesting news story of a woman in California who fought off carjackers.

Armed and Safeprovides essential reading today on the debate between the 'prags' and the 'three percenters' in light of the recent vitriol directed at Mike Vanderboegh.

Darkblogcomments on the treacherous path we have taken in violating citizens' liberties.

Robb Allenhas a thorough scientific analysis of his blog stats for the year over at Sharp as a Marble. Now this is the way blog stats ought to be done. For a lesson in how to devise accurate and informative stats for your blog, go read, study...and learn.

Say Unclesays that North Dakota only had 2 murders during 2008, and neither one involved guns. But the Bradys apparently didn't notice...

And then Uncle has THIS storythat highlights the hypocrisy of the anti-gun bigots, this time Roland Burris, the man chosen to replace Obama in the U.S. Senate.

Israel vowed to continue its attacks on Gaza even in the wake of heavy criticism for the death of one of the leaders of Hamas. In fact, Israel has intensified its offensive, according to a report in The Jerusalem Post.

Israel has a history of making a strong start in its retaliatory responses to Islamic terrorists all around it. It also has an ominous history of losing its resolve early on in the face of world criticism and gradually waning support from its closest friends.

If Israel makes the mistake once again of retreating before the job is done, it may not have a chance to render its enemies impotent ever again. Each time Israel retreats, Hamas and Hezbollah grow stronger.

Stunned by the firepower exhibited by the terrorist organization Hamas, the Israelis stated on Thursday that its nuclear power plant in Dimona is in danger of being hit with Gaza rockets.

The Gaza terrorists have strengthened their ability to fire rockets much deeper into Israel than previously had been believed.

Israel’s worst nightmare is that soon all its cities will be within range either of the Hezbollah Katyushas arrayed on the Lebanese border to the north or the increasingly sophisticated missiles stockpiled by Hamas to the south. Both groups have links to Israel’s archenemy Iran.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

The issue, my dear readers, is not how bad things get in 2009 but how prepared we are to deal with them.

I am realistic enough to know that 2009 doesn't look very good politically and financially. But I am optimistic enough to know that the prudent ones can prepare for what's ahead and act accordingly.

Financial survival will be the key in 2009.

Karl Denninger, financial guru, made the most accurate predictions concerning the economy in 2008 with a near-perfect record. He has assessed where we are and where we are headed in 2009.

And he has some highly valuable words to the wise concerning how to deal with it.

Here is Denninger's assessment of where we are and now we got here:

In short, essentially nothing positive has been done and a lot of damage has been inflicted on everyone in America out of hubris, fraud and avarice.

We now are "discovering" what I have written about for more than a year first-hand - the so-called "growth" over the last seven years has all been a fraud, instead being nothing more than additional debt. Ponzi-finance has taken over every area of our economy, from government to private business, and has run to the natural limit of "the greater sucker", now leaving all of the people beguiled and bedeviled exposed as the naked-swimmers that they are.

There has been zero push for accountability and truth throughout the system. Not among our so-called "leaders", not among the bankers, not among the political or economic elite. All are focused on trying to keep the impossible going.

Denninger outlines what needs to be done on a national scale and what we as individual citizens can do to protect ourselves from financial ruin. Read the entire thing at Western Rifle Shooters Association.

Tamposts the must-read quote of the day from her own pen. It's about the Israel-Hamas conflict. If you want the simple truth, read this!

Texas Fredpipes up with some hard-hitting commentary on this issue as well.

Sebastianhas the info on the Bradys' lawsuit on carry in national parks.

Nickisays she can't wait to get rid of 2008, or as my grandpa used to say, 'She can't wait to get shed of it!'

Joe Huffmanpoints to a lady who is looking for sex questions she can answer in her new sex column. I happen to know for a fact that sex is a necessity for gun bloggers. It keeps us from getting too cranky, which is precisely why most of us stay irritable...

Days of Our Trailerscomments that more women are hunting these days, and AHSA had nothing to do with it.

The Rustmeister'sgot plans. And it's New Year's. Interesting. He won't be back blogging until next Monday. Even more interesting. My mind wanders to 'drankin' and a-shootin.'

The Real Gun Guysalways provide an interesting read on a variety of subjects. Take a look.

Pax Parabellumposts a news story that shows at least one police department that knows how to properly use the taser to save lives.

The Democratic Caucus of the U.S. Senate has stated that it would refuse to allow Burris to become a member of Congress due to the scandal surrounding Blagojevich's alleged scheme to sell the Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Barack Obama agrees.

But according to Eugene Volokh at The Volokh Conspiracy, legal precedent established by cases such as Powell v. McCormack would prevent a court from ruling in favor of blocking Burris, should that action be challenged in the judicial system.

Under normal circumstances I would agree. But this case is different in that the Governor who is making the appointment is under a federal indictment for attempting to sell that very Senate seat to the highest bidder.

The fact that Burris himself may not be corrupt or that Blagojevich is not engaging in corruption for making this particular appointment is beside the point. The point is that Blagojevich's involvement in possible federal crimes having to do with that very Senate seat should automatically disqualify him from making the appointment.

The top news of the day is that Hamas has hijacked pro-Israel bloggers. Hackers attacked the blogs and set up messages on the sites indicating Hamas was in control. Cyber-attacks are the latest weapons in the arsenal of Islamic terrorists.

In addition, Pamela Geller live-blogged a blogger conference call of a briefing provided by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Consulate of New York. You may read the contents of that conference call here.For the past 2 days Hamas sympathizers in New York have staged protests of the Israeli retaliation against Gaza terrorists. Here is a report of those protests, along with photos.

Stating that Israel's response to Hamas has been 'disproportionate,' Jonathan Mark, writing in the Jewish World Review, maintains that the Jewish retaliation is but a mere drop in the bucket compared to the tsunami of attacks Hamas has unleashed against Israel over the last 7 years.

Indeed. A 'proportionate' response to Hamas would be roughly equal to the nightmarish horrors Israeli citizens have suffered at the hands of Islamic terrorists who live in Gaza. But of course, the world community would have nothing of it, and Israel would be condemned as a 'rogue nation.'

Personally, I think only a proportionate response would suffice. And needless to say that means allowing Israel to open up full throttle against the terrorist thugs of Gaza.

And finally, daily updates would not be complete without the invaluable live-blogging of Israellycool.com from the front lines.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

In an act of brazenness on a scale that has rarely been seen in the history of U.S. politics, the scandal-ridden Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, has named a successor to fill Obama's vacant Senate seat.

Blago's choice, which was announced at a news conference late this afternoon in Chicago, is former Illinois Attorney-General Roland Burress, who contributed heavily to Blago and Obama-Biden.

Senate Democrats, to their credit, repeated their intention to refuse to seat anyone Blago appoints to the seat, which is their Constitutional privilege.

The appointment stunned political observers, particularly since Blago himself stated 2 weeks ago that he would not make such an appointment while he is under federal investigation.

Fox News has the complete story, including reaction from Illinois legislators, here.

Focusing on guns, politics, and news of interest, here is today's Second Amendment News Roundup:

Western Rifle Shooters Associationreports that the effort to block Holder from becoming Obama's Attorney-General is now in full swing. It's time for all of us to get involved. Western provides sample letters, who to contact, and how. It's today's MUST-read.

Days of Our Trailersprovides brief, pithy, and I believe accurate commentary on the notion of the imminent breakup of the United States.

Insight on Freedomasks 'Why Does So Much of the World Hate Jews?' The writer correctly observes that little has changed since Adolf Hitler's Holocaust against them.

Dr. John Lotthas another horror story from socialized medicine, this time in Great Britain.

Traction Controlposts info on the North Texas Trinity River Shoot coming up on Jan. 2.

Tam comments on a case of justifiable homicide with a gun, which happened in Tennessee.

Robb Allensays that someone needs to lose a few pounds. And I would respond by saying that Robb needs to mind his own business! Oh, he means that 'thing' and not me. I can't tell if that thing is a hamster or a beaver.

John Jacob Hpoints to a concealed carry database. You can find out whether or not your elected and public officials carry. Funny how some of the most anti-gun bigots in the world of politics carry guns themselves.

The Smallest Minoritycomments on several items of interest to the gun rights community. It is well worth your time to read it.

Codrea's War on Guns reports the explosive news that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is going to appoint a Senator to fill Obama's vacant seat TODAY, in spite of the fact that he is up to his eyeballs in a federal corruption scandal.

Certain unwritten but commonly accepted truths undergird the U.S. Constitution. These concepts are known as 'the unwritten Constitution,' and are often cited in the writings of the Founding Fathers.

Constitutional truth is in no way as complicated a matter as the legal profession would have us believe.

The Founding Fathers did us all a great favor by leaving behind their written works for us to see. And within those documents we find the commonly accepted truths that led them to frame the Constitution in the manner in which they did.

For example, the First Amendment provision of freedom of religion was never meant to keep religion out of the public marketplace of ideas but to prevent government from establishing an official church of the United States, supported with our tax dollars such as we find in Great Britain and dozens of other countries.

In like manner, we know that the Second Amendment provision of the freedom to keep and bear arms is an individual right and not a collective one.

The Framers made both of these things clear in their many writings.

Mike Vanderboeghhas written a most interesting piece on the topic of 'the unwritten Constitution' that begs for these issues to be discussed and considered by all of those who are serious students of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

I strongly urge each of you to carefully read it and contemplate the obvious issues that arise from it.

22 Totalitarian Arab/Islamic CountriesOne Tiny Non-Arab/Democratic Country – Israel (in red, below)Arab Countries – Oil RichIsrael – No Oil ReservesArab Countries Have 800 Times More Land Than IsraelIsrael is Only 1/6 of 1% the Size of the Arab LandsIt is so small…it is 1/19th the size of CaliforniaIsrael: The Most Disputed strip of Real Estate on Planet Earth!22 Hostile Arab/Islamic Nations Allied With 1.4 Billion Muslims WorldwideOne,Tiny Jewish Nation On The Entire Earth - Israel

Be sure to take a look at the map provided at the link above...scroll down a bit to see it.

In further news of the Israeli retaliation against Hamas terrorists, the White House issued a statement today in full support of Israel. So did the German government. The Germans of all people.

Israel vows an all-out war against Hamas until the perpetrators of violence and mayhem against the Jews are obliterated.

It’s simple, really. If financial capital was the lifeblood of the economy, energy is its food. And without it, or if it costs too much, nations the world over would be unable to sustain their peoples. The American people were given a powerful lesson on what energy price shocks can feel like this past summer, and they will not be eager to pay that price again.

But if environmentalist nutcases have their way, carbon taxes on energy will send prices through the roof once again in order to force citizens to cut way back on energy consumption.

Nickiprovides excellent reading on racism and hoplophobia all in one package.

Pax Parabellumhas some long-overdue, positive things to say about Dubya. True, I have been very critical of Bush on some things. But with regard to other things, he has been model of fortitude and integrity.

In a world in which extremists within Islam have the upper hand in swaying public opinion through the mainstream media and governments that are friendly to its goals, the truth has suffered at the hands of the common propaganda.

The facts concerning Israel have been lost somewhere in the barrage of talk about 'keeping the peace at all costs,' 'establishing a palestinian state,' and other such nonsense.

Israel is invariably portrayed as the aggressor. Islamic terrorists are described as the victims.

Nothing is any more powerful in the fight to expose terrorist propaganda than a clear, straightforward presentation of the truth--the facts.

At the top of the list is the contention that since modern Israel is a creation of the United Nations in the midst of Islamic territory, it is therefore an illegitimate nation that deserves to be put to rest or at the very least divided up between its Muslim enemies.

This is propaganda.

Israel's history did not begin in 1948 but in antiquity when the Hebrews established a nation with a theocratic government.

Although critics maintain that the land in question actually belonged to another race of people prior to the Hebrew invasion of 'the land flowing with milk and honey,' any historian would be hard-pressed to make a case for the ancient Canaanites having any connection whatsoever to modern-day Muslims.

Dozens of the ancient races that once inhabited the region in and around the land once known as 'Canaan' no longer exist, just as surely as the Mayans suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from the face of the earth.

The fact is that Israel has had claim to the land in the region since 1312 B.C., and Jerusalem has been its capital for 3,300 years.

Below you will find a piece found in the comment section over at Israellycool.com. It is entitled, 'Crash Course on the Arab Israeli Conflict.' And within it you will find the bare facts that pierce through the common propaganda:

Apparently, Benjamin Netanyahu gave an interview and was asked about Israel’s occupation of Arab lands. His response was “It’s our land”. The reporter (CNN or the like) was stunned - read below “It’s our land…”

It’s important information since we don’t get fair and accurate reporting from the media and facts tend to get lost in the jumble of daily events.

“Crash Course on the Arab Israeli Conflict.”

Here are overlooked facts in the current Middle East situation.These were compiled by a Christian university professor:BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY.

It makes sense and it’s not slanted. Jew and non-Jew — it doesn’t matter.

1. Nationhood and Jerusalem. Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, Two thousand years before the rise of Islam.2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 BCE, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 CE lasted no more than 22 years.5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.9. Arab and Jewish Refugees: in 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.10 The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab la nds to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people’s lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey .13. The Arab-Israeli Conflict: the Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.14. The PLO’s Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.16. The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.18. The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.19. The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.20. The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.These are incredible times. We have to ask what our role should be. What will we tell our grandchildren about we did when there was a turning point in Jewish destiny, an opportunity to make a difference?

The U.S. has often felt the pressure of the world community to appear supportive of a 'palestinian state' in the name of a perennially elusive 'peace.' Thus, American Presidents are prone to issue generalized calls for 'a ceasefire' in these skirmishes.

It is clear, therefore, that Israel must be given a free hand to do what it must to survive in a terribly dangerous and volatile region of the world where invariably all the nations surrounding it wish for its demise.

That goal, according to Barak, is to stop Hamas from firing deadly missiles into Israeli territory.

As expected, Hamas leaders whined about the 'massacre' carried out against Palestinians by Israel. And, as expected, the response to such sentiments is that if Hamas is so concerned about Palestinians, then it should not be sending missiles into Israel that kill and maim Israeli citizens.

In fact, the Senator is so frightened by the numbers he's seeing that he has already begun his re-election bid for 2010.

This is in spite of the fact that Reid is the first Senate Majority Leader in decades to be heading up such an overwhelming majority in the chamber.

According to the Wall Street Journal, here is part of what Reid faces:

A recent Research 2000 poll of likely voters put his approval rating at 38% and his disapproval rating at 54%, a possible reflection of voters' displeasure with gridlock and partisanship in Washington. And while Nevada broke for President-elect Barack Obama by 12 percentage points in November, the state voted for President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.

It is also no small matter that Congress is getting its lowest approval rating in history, with only 9% of Americans stating that it is doing a good job.

Although the demographics indicate that Republicans face an uphill struggle to gain back its losses in 2010 due to the fact that more Republicans are up for re-election than Democrats, the task is certainly not impossible with bumbling far-Left Democrats such as Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi running the show.

I hate to break it to ya, guys, but a London newspaper has outed you for your ruse on global warming!

2008--The Year Man-Made Global Warming Was DisprovedThe really smart people of the world know this already. So why are you two still spouting the old politically correct scare tactic that the earth is getting ready to implode unless we allow government to tell us what to drive, eat, wear, and live in?